TITLE : ENERGY ShVIN(Ki C)IWAINAHIJ: 7’111{)1](:11 PASSTVH SOT,A1{ ‘1’IKIIN1 QIIES

AUTHOR(S): J. 1}. lhllcomh

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 Etf FU2Y:)AVIKS C8TAItWLE TFWLIIH PA5SIVE W-AR TECHNIQUL5

J, Ooqlas 6alcomb
Los Alamos Scientific Lahorat,)ry
LOS Alarms, New Mexico, 87545, Lk4

ABSTRACT

A passive solar energy system is me lrl which the tkr,nal energy flow is by
n~tural means, that is by radiation, contict.ion, or natural convection. The
purpose of tk peper 1s to provide a surv~?y of passive sokr heatlw experience,
especially in the U.S. Design approaches are revipwed and exa~les shown.
M!.sc~ceptions are fliscuSSed. Advantages are listed, The I.OS Alarm program of
performar~ce simulation and evaluation is described and a si~lified method or
r3erformnce estlmaticm is cutlinedm

IN7RCflLCTION

Ou,’inq the period of 1976-1979 passive solar heating of lxilclirys emerged rather
suddenly within the Lhitecl States from tk’ status of a curlnsity to recugnltlul
as one OF the rtust practical and effective means of using solar energy, Many O!
the factors which have caused this to ha~en are dlsd present in Portyal and it
wuld seem that such an awakenirq might also be possibl! I_ert?. Passive solar
oft”ers a shrple, eccmmlcal, comfortable am rellable rr:ans of bulldlly Ileatillg
that 1s particularly suitable to the range of latltucits where rrost ot the
I%rtuquese pqulation resides, lhe bulk of the heatlrw loads can be easliy
offset hy solar g~lns through effective architectural use of rrrdterials normally
enpluyecl in construction.

@y careful consideration of building orlentatlcml treatment of glazlly, sturagc

of exces~ I]eat. !n building mass, shading, ati ventilation, a I)u!lding Carl IJL,
designed to be ~lte cllmatlcnlly aUaptlve, #mJrbiry solar gulns during ;I
winter day and storinq through tn the night and yet rejectlq sumnwr sun,
Passive crwllng effects cm also be achieved by ccmtrol of radiaLirxl losses,
evapor~tlon, ventilation, and especially tkx+ ust! of buildify mas% heat capwlty
to flveragr rtlurnal tmpxature Swlriqs thus rcducirq ufterlluoll overtledll~i

T}K U.S. EXFTRIEtW

Ily l~K FI hanriflll nf experlmentHl hulldlng$ had hccrl twllt IMISU.LI (H1 very
expllclt IJassIvc solar heatlnq ~orw?pts. ThL?:;(?w~~~ l~oliit~ll iitd nlmrxil
indepencknt designs based rmre cm physical lntuitim than mthemtical
analysis. They were located in such varied places as the Pyrenees of southern
France, the New England and %dthwestern parts of the U.S. anLYLiverpool,
Emjland. There hqcl been several prior passive bulldiqs by Morse in
Massachusetts, Keck In the miduest U.j., and the M.I.T. researchers but ttwy had
gone largely w,heeded.

The period from 1973 to 1976 saw an inter.se interest in aCLIVe SOIZIr energy
d?velopmnt In response to energy curtailments and a sudd?n general awareness of
the finiteness of mrlci energy mpplles. This led to ma~or U.5. federal
government expenditures in solar energy and tlw emergerce of a solar industry
comprised prtmarlly of srmll business. By the end of 1978 the total rutier of
su!ar Installations was estimated to be lW,CIJD dcminated by swlrruning Pool and
domestic hot “inter heating appllcaticms. However, little nule was taken ot
passive solar approaches in a rush to ccmwrercialize solar through the
establishment of an in~stry tiith saw little to gain through prormtion of
passive concepts.

Almost in parallel with the active system effort , a small but aetermlned group
began an investigation of p~ssive solar t@proaches. A series of three
W1l-attencfed rrational passive solar conferences was held in the U.3. in May
1976 (Albuquerque, New MexlcoJ, in March ]979 (Philadelphia, Pennsyl’#ania), and
January 1979 (San Jose, CallfrJrn~a). Ths proceedlys of these ccmferences
(1,7,3) Plus several papers given at annual crmferences of the 1X5, Amrican
Section (L, 5) cc.mtaln a vealth of sclentitlc ~nforma!lon m passive system
analyse~ &nd performa,xe evallJation:, Secund and third generaticm pdSSiVe SOli-Ir
tvJildings h?ve been bdlt and reported. A growlrg enthusiasm for passive
apprmrhes has emerged strorqly su~orted by regional solar energy assoclaticns,
amhlterts, qla~sroots and alternative eneray groups, Wpropriate tcctnology
enthusiasts, and ecologist.

The last few yearf have been characterl?cd by ir piethora ot enerqy studies anu
polir./ ,Wvlews, Virtually every such study reported in 1979, irtiludjng the
much-vaunted Qovernrrn?ntal Intemgency Dormstic Pollcy Re’{iew, iid~ ‘;tmngly
recommended that major attention be given to passive solar twatlng. Ilk
Department of Energy (~E) has slmglt?l out tom solHr tectnologles to be
~nhaslzea in a major c~rrwrclallzathm prrgrarn: w~ter heatlry and pds~lvt!
sDacc heating. The lkpa:tment of Housing km Urban Development conwcted a
spr=clal Passive 5olHI Oe’;lgn l’cnpetltlon for residential hcusi~ ar)~ awarded
$1,~,~ lnpriz~~ tr 1620f the 5513appllcanlr th~t ~aliflcci, The resetircl]
and rh?velopmen!. buckjrt for passive solur heiitl~ and cooi~rg has grown trom
$135,~ in 1975, to Wo,an in 1976, to $2,8CU,LW in 197H to til,lcmwd $4,2
m!lllnn in 1979, ml $16.7 rnllllon in 1980.
TW cifferent schemes for classifyirq aassive solar systems have been used. One
is 8 fmctional or generic classification in which tl_e relationship of solar
gain, thermal stnrage, ad tlw? Fn2atd *ace are classified Gccorclim to tlk
categories: 1) direct, 2) indirect, and 3) isolated. A second cla.%ificati~n
schemn?, *ich has been used nmre often, defines passive system types accordiry
to tht= ptysical configuration. In this *hem the buildiys are identified
according to the categories, a) direct g~n, b) twrlmal storage wall, c)
attached sun space, d) thermal storaw roof, and e) convective looP. both
classificatim scherres are very useful and can augment rne anotbr; used
togetmr they form a poherful vocabulary for describing varicrus passive design
approaches. These tm classiflcat.icn sctn?rres are described in more Cletall below.

PJfsJral Categories

Fig. 1. Direct Gain. Sunlight Fig. 2. Thermal Storage wall. Sunlight

enters the heated space, lSCOn\2rted penetrates glazing and 1s absorbed and
to heat at *sotiirq surfaces, Mnd converted to heat at a wall Wrfhce in-
is dispersed throughout the Wace terposed between the glaziy and the
and to the various enclosing ur- Fn3ated Wace. THe wali is usually
faces md room cor}tcnls. masonry (Trunk wall) or containers
filled with water (water wall), altkrugh
lt might contain phase-charye material.

% ~ -u W-

{
L.
MIW! wall

Flqm 3. Attnchfll h~S@CF, ?111s 1s a 11(J, 4. Tt-,erml btoragc Roof. ltll,’;*

cn,jlblmtlrm of cllrect qaln and tlwrmal similar to tk Lkrmiil :tSralJl w~ll ex -
stornqe ml 1 ap+lroflctm. IIP t)uildlnrj ce~]t that the ir,terpowu th?lmd]

I
 Fig. 5. Convective Loop. lhis approach
is most akin to conventional ac”ive
systems in that there is a separate
collector and separate !hermal storage.
It is a passive approach, however, be-
cause the thermal energy flow is by
natural convection.

GENERICCATEG~IES

1. Direct . Same as above, Fig. 1.

2. Indirect. tillght 1s absorbed and stored by a mass interposed betwen the

glaz-the Condithned space. The conditioned spat? is partially emlosed
and hounded by the thermal storage mss so that a stron~ natural (and
uncontrolled) th?rmal comliy is achleveci. Exanples of the lnuirect a~roach
are the thermal storage wall, thermal storage roof , and th? northerly room or the
attachec! sunspace, as deplctsd ~n Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

3. Isolated. This is an indirect ~ystem except that ttw?re is a cristirrt thermal

wpa”~fby means of either insulation or physical separation) between the
thermal storage md the heated space. The ctmvectlve loop, as depicted in Fig.
S, 1s in this category. The thermal storage wall, thermml storage roof, and
attach~ mnspace approaclws can also be mede into i~latr?d systems by insulating
between thermal storage and the heated Wace.

Dlscussim

TM physical categories listed above are frequently used in ,~escriptimls of

passive system because they are easily visualized and most quickly convey the
cmcepts and fhysical principles errhcdied in the most ronmm passive designs.
However, they lack generality and a large catalog of different ap~ruaclws arid
associated ohysical de%crlptims can be expected to ermerys, The generic
ca?eqorles are SCIgeneral in nature t’,nt they can be expected to survive as
useful nays of describing quite a brrm range of calcepts. Furttvsrmure, they
n~ly with equal nase to natural coolirm cmcepts as WC1l RS solar heatin,ql
whrreas all the physical categories Ii, III abcwe, except the tkrrnd~ sturage
rocf, are specifically solar heatlrq curu,@s. ReJucthm lrl cxIollIy load, IJUII
to added rmss lr the building, rmy tell b,’ an addL@ benefit, but this does not
usda:]y drive th? design, Addition of verlli]ation crJrJIIIq by means of il
thermally drlvl?n rmtural ccxnvccticm chirrncy muy also I)e lrrnrpordtr’d.

These descriptive categorIzntlons overl~ but carl tJc useil Lugetlwr. Fur (,xiwruIle,
me :nuld ensi.~y refer to a mlx of isolatfli thermirl stor~gr wutl:r Willl ::Ih]
conve,:tlve looII -such a c~hlr~t~~ hflq, ill fn~t. , lwww Illtlt qrld 5I1OWI!o wurk
M?ll.

w!LKwk!?!2

if
 MYTHS

Passive salar is mt much mderstood and a nunber of misconceptims have grrJwn up

aromd false notions. Among these are:

.1 . ‘Passive solar will mti well mly in privileged regions, such as the
Armsrican southwest.” Both experieme and analysis refute this. Successful
appllcatlcns have heen demonstrated in frigid Wyoming, C1OUCIY aild cGld New
England and cloudy, grey Liverpool, Ergland. Calculations for a 45 cm Trombe
wll, Wed with night insulatim, indfcate the following energy savi@s:

Heati~ load Solar Heatiy Net Yield

Latitude
—— Oc-days Fraction kwhr/m2-yr

B@stcO, Massachusetts 4:@ 3130 4B% 303

Albuq@rq@, New Mr?xico 3:jo 2420 71% 346
Madison, Wiscmsin 450 4370 &a 37U
Seattle, Washington 490 2460 54% 26B

The area of the wall 1s 1/4 rf the floor area of the house which has a total loss
coefficient of 2.1 w/et DIII SQ meter of floor area (exclusive of the Tronbe
wall) and rmintal,wd within t,hc range of 21.1°C to 26,7°C. bui!ding internal
heat sources (pecple, lights, appliances, etc.) are assumed to account tox
2.7oC of the tenperat~re increase.

7. “Cmupants of passive solar bdildings nmt sacrifice comfort. Temperature

s~lrgs ore excessive and uncontrollable.” Although this certainly can be the
case, gccd design practjce can prevent it. If a large ml.ar fract.ia is desired
in e cold clirrate, a direct gtiin buildinq can be expected to experience clear-day
swir~s of at least 5°C and nmrr likely 10°C. However, a thick (45 cm +)
Irnvent,ed Tranbe wall wit:, t~rmostatic auxiliary back~ can provide a very stable
lnter~l mvironment and at the =me time a 70-80% solar Contribtirm. [he very
effective design appr~ach is to separate the bulldimg into two zones as shown
below.

The Cllrect-gdn Zaw 1 will experience

large temperature swings (10 to 15°C

I
on a clear day) hut provides a very sult- DIRECT OAII

.
@PoACC
nhle space for an Q1 lock entrymey, a
trmsit ~ren, an atrium or a greenhouse,
Zcne 2, by crntrust, cm be very stable
In tPrrp~rHtllrr and I!; rmre suitable
hlqh-crm,iort l~vlnq zalc,
as a
ISUN WACr I

I
II VA .~
-WJ1’H ~MWwu
Even flnt’r mninq can he used to locute closets, parlttles, bedrooms, and llvir~
rmms r+ccord!rq to lndlvlchiul cc,lfort requirements.

3, “~~~nt~ of I%I!i%ive ~lar bull(IkJs ~~t k Wry ~rlvolved h) tl~ (~JUhIl]

of ttm s)~t.~m,” Aqriln, tills 1s u miter of cholcc. Lkw car) ciIwirjII lrl
11.nnd.npcrntecl rmvdllt? lWilll13LlWl, fOI’ t?Xfl171.)k!, (II’ l)UrlI&ChSdJIC VI?ntS. llmy curl,
hnw~wr, IIP m)t.nrmtwl on H t,lwrmwwt or nr]t u!;d, Most l]ulldlIw:; Lt] rrly on
opmllrx] wlnrhwn for vrrltilatlrm nm!lng tiirlr~ w+tm, surwy ~rlrlg HIhl full dUyL
lult. ~)115 1,; ;I n,)tllrnl ml(l foml~lnr n?iwrt of nw;t lmusL\:;,
4. llpa~~ive ~mcepts are g~d cnly for new ccnstructicn, ~t far retrofit. ” In
fact, passive solar is very app:’~riate in modifications to exist~~ buildl~s,
and at least cme--half of the existing passive appllcatims are retrofits. There
axe fmr particular approaches wh{.ch are mst suitable:

a. AP91ng muth-faCing win&ws. This provides additimal direct gain

to a structure which my have very adequate thermal mass built in,
especially if it is an older building.

b. Adding a solar greenhouse. The attached solar greenhouse is pmvirq to

be a very popular additim, as mch because of the added focd-gmwiy
potential, natural winter hmidity and ambience provided as for the extra
heat.

cm Adding a cmvecLive-loop air heater outside an existlm smth-facimg

insulated wall. These are llghtwe~ght and lnexpmsive a,Id are especially
effective bmause they can be built to shut off at night by means of a
simple pass!ve backdraft damper. They can be used on apartmnts or other
mlti-stmri structures.

d. Glazing an existing .mth-facing masonry *11. Thermocirculatim vents

can be cut throyh or not as desired, *pending on whether the builclly
currently rer@res mJor daytime heating.

A particular advantage to passive solar retrofit applications is that one can do

a llttle or a lot or do several snail additims in sequence.

5, MT@re 15 “o evaluation base for passive solar.” while it 1s t~Je that

there is rmre data m active system performance, the results from passive
bulldiys, though less c~lete, are mre encouraging. D-ta from the MIT II test
rooms (1945), the St. Georges School (1974), and the Trotie-Michel Oueillo house
(1975) havf shown very good performance. Performance of dozens of second and
thilcl gene’-atim buildings, sore v@ll instrumented and some where mly meager
evaluations have been made, all show large enerly savirys. The patLern is
cmsi$tent and the message hard to mlsunderstand-- tb.e results ccmfirm or exceed
predii!tions.

6, IIlhe bu~lding~st be fully backed up with a CmVent~MSl heatiw sYStern

sized for the @sign load.” This may be the case in some climates, but the low
peak hl?ating rl:quiremnts of several buildlngs indcate that a significant
retiction in peak heatllg requirements rrey be ohtainecl in a passive solar
!]lJi](jlf-q. This 1s me to tm effects:

a) The long time respmse of a building with a low loss coetflcient and a
large mass tenclj~ to carry over for three or fwr days, bridgiry the gap
betwen perluls of solar gain.

b) Th~ cfflclent collectlm of very low levels of solar radlatim even

tiring adverse weather. There are few days without at least 5CU wh/m2
of lncldent solar radiant energy; with this nuch i~ut night-insulated
clotile g!,azhg will he Just ;leutral aL an average ‘.e~erature ditterence
of IOoc.

I,(-)W Cost
.—
Fxpprlence to chte in the U.S. is that thf? ltwnmental add-m installed cost of
Pimlvr solar systems gerqrally falls within tk rmges Iildicated below, wlwre
t.h~ cost 1s qlven per unit area of rollectjrm glazlng.
 Direct Gain $20-120/m2 Thermal storage mof $lCIJ-280/m2
Thermal storage w-all $80-20fl/m2 Convective loop $ 50-80/m2
Attached wn spat.s $50-160/m2

These costs vary @penCling on where and how the buildirg is constructed, the
fi~terials used, the workmanship and finishing, and wheth?r or mt some means are
provided to insulate againSt 10SSeS at night. The cost of night. insulation
itself is generally in the range of $20 tc $UII per sq meter and is ircluaetl in
the ranges given above.

Cne of the reasons that costs tend to be low for passive systems is becwse the
materials are available, the infrastructure rcquiled for the manufacture and
distribution r ‘ these fIBterialS is in place, md builders are familiar with their
use. The most ccnmmn of these materials are glass, oth?r glazings, and mason-
ry. Armtl?er reason that costs are low is that the passive elements fr~q,jently
serve two fum tlons so that their cost can be written off aijainst both r unctions.

Ease of Natural Operatim

Hic;l reliability of passive solar designs is attributable to the lack of rmvi~

parts and the use of conventional materials. Since t~re is very little
~C~iCal eqUip~nt tkre iS very little tO go wrong. Most of the materials
which are assaci~ted with passive solar desi~ll are normal construction materials
used within the.,r normal operating range wh”ch have already been long and well
tested. The two most ccnnron materials, glass and masonry, are the elements ot
the building which can be expected to last the longest mder normal canditicms.

Thermal Canfor R

Perhaps the rrost comfortable way to heat a buildiy is with a large racllant panel
operating at luw temperature. Heat fluxes am relatively low, there are no hot
spots or cold Wets to be expected, draftS are eliminated, and there is no
noise. A well insulated room car] be heated easily by maintaining any one of the
side or floor surfaces at a temperature no greater than 27°C. A particular
benefit of radiant heating frchn a side wall surface is the natural convection of
alr witnin the room which occurs between the heated surface and tile other
slightly cooler surfaces. The convective current is so slow as to be
imperceptible to the occupants of the room but sufficiently strong to maintain
good mixi~ of the air and prevent stratlflcatlon. This type of radiant heating
is normally associated with the thermal storage kall and direct gain passive
a~roaches.

It is also nell established that it is mre efficient to tiat a space radiantly

than by Eeatlng the air. The effective canfort temperature 1s made ~ abuut
equally hy the man radiant temperature and by tlw air temperature. Thus it tl~.
mean radiant ttnperature can be maintained high then the air temperature can be
maintained relatively low and still achieve a comfortable cmluitim. Thus the
heating of air which infiltrates the build~ng, which accounts for a very
Sigrl~fiCiYlt fracticm of the energy requirements of a ftnderr till-insul~te~
huildlng, will he slgnificmtly lcwer in a ~ace which 1s !,eated predcnninantly t.IY
radial’,t energy,

One mst hc careful h passive SOlar des.lgns to avoid large cold Surtaces within
t~ rcom in order to avoid ttw o~oslte effect described above. Large glass
areas seem especially cold in a room and require relatively hlyh air te~cratL]res
to offset tnelr depression on tlw radiant envlronmnt. Thus ttw designer Of
direct gain systems 1s led to consider mov~le insulation syst.ems, drapes, triple
glazlng, or other means of protr!ctlng the rocnn m-~nnts from cold glabs sur!aces,

I
Few Needs for Certificatim

For all of the reasons given ?hve there are few need5 fcr Cert.iiicaticm of
equipment used in paSSive systems. Procetires for certification have already
been =t~lished fOr most of the comnm Const.ructlm mtiYialS used. And Mthirq
about the awlicatim of these materiais in passive systems SFN3U1.d require an
extenslcm of the certiflcatims now LOneffect.

However, new passive Sdlar CO@CmentS will be developed--such as glazing

assemblies, mxable insulatim a?.setilies, and other packagd devices--which will
n?quire established certifications.

Aesthetic Appeal

Although passive solar buildings my look different than their more cmventicmal
neighbors, their aw=rence is generally Considered a~ealing. The nation has
become accustomed ta the use of large expanses of glass and often chooses such a
design for aesthetic reasons. Many architectural features such as picture or
clerestmm windo~s and massive fireplace sectims ir a btildimg can be turned to
gOOd t~rhl use simply by properly establishing their relationship to the
building gecmmtry and orient:ticn. Many thermally desirable features such as
shadicg overhamgs and shutters can add to tlw building’s architect,Jral Variety
The availability of sunlight within the living space @ens the possibility of
adding growing plants to the space for tlv? simple Joy of their beauty, variety
and ever-changing characteristics.

Altkwwgh architectural design has never been static, We advent of passive CIes.
approaches atis a whole new and synergy to buildirg
dimension design which wil
herald a revoluticm in architectural practice.

Indepenrknce
—
Even in the event of total failure of the backup heating S-IPPIY and the
electrical service to he building, a well-desjgned passive solar buildify will
remain moderately comfortable and will never freezt.

PEFFCRMAWESIt41LATICNAt@ EVALUATION

The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LAY) program has been a cornerstone of the
Department of Energy research and d!?velopment in passive solar heating. The
primary ob,~ectives are 1) to perform a detailed evaluatim of passive solar
heaticg and 2) to provick? a quantitative proce~~ which will enable build!.ng
designers to incorporate PaSslVe solar heatiy into building deslgll. The prugr~m
consists of foJr key elements: a) experiments in passive solar test rooms,
b) mnitorinq of passive salar buildings, c) co~uter siwlaticns and system
a,lalysis of passive solar ccmceots , and d) ri?velopment of deslqn tools for
lncurporatimg passive Wlar concepts into building design.

Test
— Fnnms
-.
Fourteen passive solar test rooms have been cmstructed at LrIs AlcnrJs and
ck?tailrd data have been taken unckr very carefully controlleil conditions. based
m these results validatim of the computer simulatim ~el~ for L.ikrmal storage
wall and direct gain test rooms has proceeded m schedule, 617 Future wrk wlli
concentra~.e on different design approaclws such as convective loops, attached
Wvspaccs, and thermal stormy? ruofs, and m tht? extensim ot these e~erim~!lts
Lo a variety of advanc”d concepts to impnve performa,lce,
Mmitored Buildinrjs

Instrumentation has been installed in 15 passive solar buildings and extensive

data have been taken c&ring two winters’ cperation. These buildings represent a
variety of @sign approaches. Data taken m these buildings allow ths extensio(
of the ccmputer model validation from siwle-room test situations to actual
buildings having a variety of conplicatkg factors de to the IKIre Coi_@ex
structure md the ompancy. l%ta From three buildiqs have been analyzed and
the mdel validatim process has been successful.

carp uter Simulation and Systems Analyfi&

The experimental and mmitoring wrk i; tied together and made useful by conputer
simulation and analysis. &Ily through these tools can tl_e results be
generalized, ck?sign milmds developed, and the effW2t of both cii~tic faC:OrS
and design factors quantified. The mos: progress has been maae in thi- area.
~:e faith has been %tablished in a rmtlwmatical modelirg spproach, then a
ccmplex cmputer model can be assembleu representing a particular class of
buildings and this nmdel useo for system:; Studies. These are of tvm types:
climatic studies and parameter variations. l“hese studies have been the backbone
for the LA51 effort.

The results of these studies have ccmfirmed thut passive solar heatiy is
practical throughmt the rarge of clirmtes within tl,e United States. The
performance variation betwen different climate zones is less than might have
been Imagined since passive solar is shcwn to work effectively in relatively
diffuse solar Ccmditions. when ccupled wit,) an economic evaluation, it has been
established that passive solar h~ating ccqwtes favorably in 1978 on a life-cycle
basis with electric Wace heating in nearly all parts of the United States, with
oil in most places, anc with (regulated) nat~lral gas in some places.

The approach used is to pf’f:orm full-year hour-by-hour simulation of the

buildi~s for “ari,,us desigrl possibilities Fe;” 29 aifferen? climates tor which
LA.SLhas detailed weather and salar data. Th~ Imur-by-hour simulation techniques
can also be used to determine the influecce of various design parameters. On
this basis important performance anu ecmonuc ,Iecisicms can be made in order to
choose the most awroprlate systems fr”’ each climate ana to optimize the aesigns.

DEVEL@KNT w HIGN ‘KJ3LS

LASL has made significant progress in using the ~:orrplex rrmdels to develop silrwle
design techniques. TO do this the results of mary hundreds of rxmr-by-hour
analyses are used as a basis for determining corr?laticm. This has been carried
through to ccwpletion for two classes of passive designs and 1s uncerway for the
additional classes, The procedure was used Wccessfully as tile basis for
evaluation of th recent Passive Solar Design Co~?titiun arid Denmnstratlon.

Simplified Method

The tectniqm employed is the LASL Mcnthly Solar Loi,o Ratio mthod. The
proce~re 1.s to determine for each month of the heatiry season a dimensionless
Solar Load Ratio (S-R) defined as:

SLR = (nmthly Wlar radiation absorbed’/(rmmthly load).

The mmthly solar rHctlatlon absorbed 1s ttn? total sol;r energy trmsmltted
thrwgh tile collection glozlng less any that 1s reflect:d back out. lhe mxlthly
lnrirl !5 the total mmthly heating requirement of the hdldlry in tt,e CIIISCIMWof
any w , hcludhg heat required to satisfy tlw steady-state load of the solar
col~ectfcm wall and building infiltration.

It has been ~te.rmined that the rnnthly Solar Savir@s Fracticm (S5F) can be
successfully Correlated with AR, Since the monthly SS may vary statistically
for the sam value of 54-R, the reconmmded procedure is to esthste ~- cm
averages. Month-to-month variations will te,ld to average each other OU: and the
QR mthm will provide a 9CtId estimate of the long-tern average. The method
characteristically prodces annual solar savings fraction estimates which fall
within a 3.4% standard deviation of t;e hour-by-hour amdal Calculatic,ls.

The correlation mrves for S IS SLR c& not depend on climate (the correlations
are tine for 10 in 29 widely c’iffering climates in the U.S. and Canada) but do
depend on system type. ~rre”.ation curves have been generated for dir~ct gain,
Trombe wlls, md water wallsj both with aild without night insulatim.
E~orlential Pmctions have been used for tlw correlations.

For each rmmth of the heating season, the ratio 5/CO :s determined, where 5 is
the total mmlthly solar radiation transmitted through one sqlrare meter of south-
factno, -.ertical dotile glazhg and ~ Ls tns base 18.3 C heating degree days.

Then the Solar Savi@s Fraction (S$) is determined for each frnn?.h as follows:

ssF=l- K (l-F), where

F=,qX, forX<R
r=fl - C exp(-P.Y), for X > R
F S 1.OCU for large X.

and where K = 1 + G/LCR

X = (5/M))/(LCSl xK)

(X is the “501ar Load Ratio”)

building load coefficient, exclusive

of solar gla~i.nq
LCR =
solar collecticm area
(LCR is the ’’Load Collector Ratio”)

Constants for tk various passive system types are as follows:

G R A B c D

m 10.6 0.5 IJ.5213 1.0133 1.0642 0.69.27

IXNI 2.4 0.7 0.5420 .9866 1.1479 0.9U97

Tw 3,6 C.b 0,3698 1.0408 1.0797 U.4407

TwNI 0.5 1,0 LI.4556 .9769 1.2159 o.84b9

Ww 5,0 1,3 0,4025 .9872 1.505> u .!lJ54

WWN1 0,7 1.2 0,4846 .9799 1,8495 1,2795

The ;minual SSF is then obtained from the sums ot’ the omnthly values, as follows:

qMFi x ml
Annual 5S =
- --q%i

t+?re, LX, TW, MII WW Mlcnte direct gain, Tromhe wall, dnd water wall
resp~ctively. NI [ndicilte~ night ~nsulatlcm,
Most passive designs ca}sist rrf a mixture ttw basic approaches. Few Trorrbe
walls are wlthwt same direct gain conpme[lt. Most water walls are spread-apart
tuhm or other cmt.ainers which allow some CJirect heating. The recomrrvmded
procetire is to cmp-rte a siqle *R, based on tlw total solar gain through ali
glazirq divided by the total thermal load , anc then compute a weighted-average
ST. This is detc:-{ned by Conputing a separate 5* for each design approach
and averaging Pitwen them based m the relative proporL:.on of each glazed area.

Reference Designs

The correlatim curves are determined for a set of “reference” COnfi9Ur0tkYM

@find as follows:

Oouble alazina, rnrmal transmittance = 0.7!!7 , 6.4 mm Spaciw

Night i&ulat~6n (when used) is O 6 W/°Cm2; 5:CIl pm to 8 m-am
Thermal Storage = 92UC130J/°C per m3 of glazlrq
Water wall: equivalent to 216 nvr of water
Trombe wall: 450 mm thickness
Thermi?l ccr,dctivity . 1.73 W/m°C
Tranbe wall has vents, upper and lower, each 3% of the ha 1 area,
having backdrafl dampers,
Oirect Gain . exQosed surface = 3 x glazed ?Lea
150 rrvnthickness
Ottmr nuildirg mass 1s negligible
wall-to-:oom cmtictancr . 5.7 W/°C m2

hxlliaw maintains an interml bulldhj temperature above 18.3°C. Heiit 1s

~nv@ to rmintain the building tc’.~eratur~ below 23.~C. No lnterml
hu~ldimg heat generation.

Estlmatlcq ttw E!fect of Variations 111 Ocsign Parameters

The effect of cha:-,plrq a design parameter (dtlwr than the area of glazing) car~ be
assessed by Gt..xlylnq the piidished result~ of huur-t]y-hour calcui;~tiuls in which
the various parametl=rs are varied me at a time, These are giver’, in Reterence 8.

REFEKNCE:

Proceed:lqs of tlw Conference m ?ass!ve 5olar Heatinq and Cooling;

:kY, 1976). Albuquerque, N.M. 1.A-663:~-c; 355 pi’; available from Niit ona
Tr=clmicul Inform:~tlm 5r?rvlce, .Sprir]gfield, VA, for $lJ.uJ tl.>.

Fl~llad~lphia, ’”PA, 949 pp; avallnble frum Mid-Atlantic !iolar Energy ll~mciatim,
P77} uraY’s }“uyry Ave., Philndelphla, F’A., 19146 for $2’I,[lJ U.S.

5. Prnceedlws 01 the 3rd rlltialai PassIvc Sulur [lhlterr:rwe (January, 19”/!!) m~

.Jo\P, rA 111 pllllllcntlorl; LII 11P nvailahll: trnm, Amrlcan .50cLiIJll, Irltl:r:mlional
Snlnr Ene;oy Soclcty (AS/ISES), PmO. liIIx 1416; Amrlcan iecll’oluq~cal lJrl~verslLy,
KlllerIl TX’., 76541.

II, Procrcdlc-qt LYx~trr[!rrn (Jwc,

or the nS~15[.5 flrlrn.lir) ]V//) LJrldrlw), [L. ; M+
‘/pJr;O~;II ViIl];III]II rrl~m A!i/lY.5 (“NY’ N’f. 3)0

9. llr(,[.~,yjl[~!;
of ~~ fls,llq’srlwlual llM\fl!r(’l
M!l’ (N JiII!it, lV/tl) IJlvwt!l, [;(l, ;
nvalliill]p frnm A5/l*!I (wr rcf, 3).

II
6. J. D. Balcorrb, R, 0. McFarland, and 5. W. Wore, (June 1977) ~lnulati~~j
Analysis Pa\$ive solar Heated Lu’,lilin g--~~arlscn with Test Rrwm Results
~rese.lted at the AS/15Es Anrwal ~4eeting, (see ref. 4, aoove).

7. W, O. Wray and J. D. Balcomb, S.?nsltivlty of Direct Cain Space Heatin~

Performance to Fmdamental
..— Paramet~~t]ms, Solar Enerd y, vol. 23,-N0.
— 5
(1 979) .

I?m J. D. 9alcomh md others, (January 1960). Passive Solar Ilesi n Handbcok

Volune II: Passive Solar Oesl n Analvsis, U. S. Department o ~--’Energy,
mE/cs-o127ri!. Available from %r-
Nat ma~eclnical Informatim Service,
~ringfielrl, vA, for$14.OJU.5.